Artistic Features

For us, advocating earthen plasters as part of an interior wall system is linked to their great ability to regulate indoor humidity and temperature, as well as the fact that they are totally natural, breathable and have a very small carbon footprint. Furthermore earthen plaster offer nearly unlimited aesthetic and artistic possibilities.

Facts on Indoor Humidity

Porous materials have the ability to absorb humidity from the air (vapour) and release it back into the air. This humidity balancing potential is especially effective with clay. A solid wall of earth bricks can absorb up to thirty times the moisture of conventional burnt bricks. A thin layer of earthen plaster is still able to absorb an exceptional amount of water.

These remarkable humidity balancing properties may cause people to believe that clay building products, by absorbing moisture, would be setting up the perfect conditions for the growth of mould or the onset of fungal rot. However, the opposite is true: Ideal conditions for mould or rot are caused when a building material absorbs moisture and is unable to later release it when air humidity drops, as in the case of absorbed water becoming trapped behind oil based painted surfaces, or when moisture is not absorbed but condensates on a surface. This makes even bathroom and kitchen walls built from clay or rendered with clay more hygienic and far less vulnerable to the growth of mould than for example tiled walls.